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Animate Chimera
Animate Chimera Since ever and ever the world began They have danced like a ribbon of flame, They have sung their song through the centuries long, " And yet it is never the same. — Rose Fyleman, "The Fairies Have Never a Penny to Spend" Animate chimera are simply chimera that have either life or the appearance of life. They may be sentient or nonsentient, but nonsentient chimera can mimic intelligent creatures in a surprisingly sophisticated manner. Like inanimate chimera, chimerical creatures may be either Incidental (living wholly in the mundane world) or Dreamed. Some animate chimera, such as Nocker golems, may even be forged. From imaginary friends and invisible playmates to animated teddy bears, younger Faeries are especially fond of animate chimera that they consider safe and controllable. Of course, they are also fearful of chimerical monsters, which definitely are not cozy or friendly (except in the rarest of circumstances). Chimera do not take human form, though humanoid shapes such as gossamer-winged folk are popular — again, particularly among children, who thus "acquire" a brother or sister willing to play with them. Chimera can interact with the mundane world, opening doors and using objects from the mundane environment. This means that so long as no banal mortals are present, they can follow a changeling into the mortal world and interact freely with things there. This means that changelings cannot escape inimical chimera simply by slipping through the nearest door and shutting it behind them — unless the room they enter is full of mortal humans. Ironically, the banality of mortals is their best defense against most Chimera, who are often repelled by their presence. Of course, fleeing into a room of highly creative mortals (such as might be found at an art studio or in an artists' colony) may not prove to be as effective. Chimera thrive on Glamour just as changelings do, and they sometimes project themselves into the Autumn world in the presence of creative mortals. All of that said, if they are pressed and end up face to face with mortals, Chimera will do what they must to defend themselves and follow their natures, and are oftentimes quite dangerous to mortals and changelings alike. For mortals, their own banality will likely keep chimera away, and the Mists will often skew their memories of interactions after the fact. So the creatures of horror films may be shrieked at and then forgotten. Nonsentient Chimera Nonsentient chimerical creatures may have the appearance of life and intelligence but are really little more than animated impulses following a preordained series of actions. These creatures may have all the outer aspects of sentience. They may show clever instincts while hunting, use a sword with amazing facility, or even carry on an intelligent conversation. All of this is illusion, though. A nonsentient chimera merely behaves the way that the Dreamers who created it expect it to act. It has no independent thought or will, though in some cases a nonsentient chimera may become aware over time. Sentient Creatures Some chimera are truly endowed with fully self-aware intelligence, and are characters in their own right. They can range from lowly creatures such as thinking plants and talking frogs to the great griffins and terrible dragons of ancient times. See here for more details on chimera of this level of agency. Relationships with Chimera '' Whether chimera are truly self-aware or not, they have diverse kinds of interactions with changelings they cross paths with (or even with the mortal dreamers that sometimes spawn them). Some types of chimera act as allies, some as antagonists. Those created by the unconscious fears of dreamers or faeries can manifest as nothing short of monsters, and are among the most dangerous things a changeling may face. See here for more information on the general archetypes of roles and relationships chimera may fall into.